The Skills in Demand (SID) visa is Australia’s employer-sponsored temporary work visa. It replaced the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa under subclass 482 and started on 7 December 2024. The idea is simple: it lets Australian employers sponsor skilled overseas workers for roles they can’t fill locally.
The visa keeps the 482 code but now splits into three streams. Each has its own occupation and income rules, and picking the wrong one before you lodge can hold up the whole application. So the stream you choose is the first thing to get right.
Core Skills stream
This is the one most applicants use. It covers occupations with real shortages, and the nominated occupation has to sit on the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL).
On pay, two tests apply and you have to clear both. The first is the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT): $76,515 a year for nominations lodged between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, then $79,499 from 1 July 2026. The second is the Annual Market Salary Rate (AMSR) for that role in that location. Whichever number is higher is the one you have to pay.
One naming point that trips people up: CSIT replaced the old TSMIT when the visa was restructured. TSMIT isn’t a separate live figure for new nominations anymore, even though you’ll still see it in some older documents.
Specialist Skills stream
This stream is aimed at highly skilled, high-earning people in non-trade roles. Trades workers, machinery operators, drivers, and labourers are out.
The pay floor here is the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT): $141,210 a year for 2025–26, rising to $146,717 from 1 July 2026. The upside is that the occupation doesn’t need to be on the CSOL.
Both the CSIT and SSIT move every year, indexed against Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE), so always check the current number before lodging rather than relying on last year’s.
Labour Agreement stream
This stream carries over the arrangements from the old TSS visa. It lets employers sponsor workers in positions covered by a specific labour agreement, including Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs). It’s the holding pattern while the government finishes work on the planned Essential Skills stream.
Why lodgement timing matters
The threshold is locked in by the date you lodge, not the date a case officer looks at it. Lodge on or after 1 July 2026 and you’re on the new, higher figures. Lodge before that and you stay on the 2025–26 numbers, even if the decision comes months later. If you’re preparing nominations around the end of June, that’s a few thousand dollars of difference riding on a lodgement date, so it’s worth planning around.
Where it can lead
For a lot of Core Skills holders, the 482 is a stepping stone to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186). Whether you’re an employer looking at sponsorship or a worker weighing up the streams, it’s worth getting advice early so you lodge in the right stream, on the right figures, the first time.